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Built on the values and principles of sustainability, forty years ago Dave Miller and Bob Hull founded a firm that has led the way in creating architecture that responds to and respects its natural surroundings. The Miller Hull Partnership continues this founding tradition as they are involved with a number of Living Buildings that push the boundary of efficiency, including…

We are excited to continue engaging local youth with the 2016 launch of the pilot Youth Leadership Council (YLC). YLC is a group of 16 diverse youth who have self-identified as sustainable youth leaders among their families, peers, and communities, representing a cross section of schools from the greater Seattle area. We hope to create space for a community of…

When you walk through a forest, whether it’s a deciduous forest shedding its leaves on a colorful fall day, or in a eucalyptus forest in the midst of summer, where the smell of peeling bark is clearing your sinuses, it is not just your visual senses that are alive. Smell, sound, and the texture of what is underfoot are part…

Introduction and conclusion written by Sunni Wissmer, ILFI’s Volunteer Network Coordinator. For many of us, working toward a more sustainable future is an act of love. Paulo Freire, the Brazilian educator and activist, once said “love is an act of courage”. As I work with our network of global volunteers, I have the privilege of witnessing many small acts of…

For many of us it has been hard to cling to a sense of hope when we see basic human rights such as clean water, clean air, and freedom of religion under attack. Our work here at the Institute often requires courage as we seek to create a Living Future for all. Van Jones has been on the forefront of…

gen·ius noun: exceptional intellectual or creative power or other natural ability cour·age noun: the ability to do something that frightens one During the initial planning stages of the International Living Future Institute’s 11th annual unConference, the theme was dedicated to Genius and Courage. The search then began for keynote speakers who are devoted to bringing these nouns to life in…

The following in an excerpt from The Living Building Challenge: Roots and Rise of the World’s Greenest Standard: Beavers, bees, bears, eagles, ants, termites, spiders, rabbits, snakes, coral, and a vast range of other animals build homes for themselves and their progeny. These shelters often have profound effects on the surrounding environment. Humans, however, are in a whole different league….

This article includes ideas and excerpts from Denise DeLuca’s book Re-Aligning with Nature: Ecological Thinking for Radical Transformation. According to Gallup (the global research and polling organization), “engaged” employees feel they have an opportunity to do what they do best each day, have someone at work who encourages their development, believe their opinions count and are involved in, enthusiastic about…

Your confusion might be excused if you stumbled one morning last August into a conference room on the Georgia Tech campus. More than 50 people sat at eight tables. Most wore casual business attire. Almost all were design or construction professionals, planning the landmark Living Building at Georgia Tech. The unusual thing was that some participants were scrutinizing sticks, bones,…

As you sip your morning cup of coffee, have you ever wondered where the beans come from? Are you curious about the ingredients in your shampoo, or the principles and protocols that create the foundations of your organizations? Transparency is a powerful tool that can lead to critical information-sharing, thus in allowing consumers to make wiser choices. This democracy of…

At the Paris climate conference (COP21) late last year, 195 countries adopted the first-ever universal, legally binding global climate accord. It is a big deal that world leaders have finally acknowledged the climate crisis and committed to do something about it. But let’s not kid ourselves. As Bill McKibben, founder of 350.org put it, “This agreement didn’t save the planet,…

Biophilic design was the reason I became an architect. I developed a deep-rooted love of life when backpacking around Australia in my early twenties. The sheer beauty of the country, its unique flora and fauna, and the vast expanse of pristine land was life changing. The Australian landscape stood in stark contrast to the developed cityscapes of England where I…

This article was originally published in GreenBiz (greenbiz.com). “I don’t know” is becoming less plausible for corporate representatives to say when it comes to understanding various supply chain impacts and risks, from deforestation to water, biodiversity and related human rights issues. The era of tracking and transparency has met the era of (near) real-time Big Data, within a context of…

stok’s journey to become a transparent company wasn’t easy. It started two years ago, when one of our team members attended Living Future unConference 2014 and learned about the JUST label for the first time. As a culture- and purpose-driven company, JUST seemed like a no-brainer for us to pursue. However, we quickly found that transparency is a difficult and…

Since opening in late 2014, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s (CBF) Brock Environmental Center in Virginia Beach has greatly exceeded expectations. The Brock Center received its Living Building Challenge certification in May of this year, and it is the first commercial building in the continental United States permitted to capture and treat rainfall for use as drinking water. With solar panels,…

Since 1977, Carol Sanford has been forging the path for the regenerative business. Carol has the innate ability to see the inner workings of a business and align systems to better benefit industries, social systems, cultural beliefs and governing practices. Her vision for industries is rooted in tangible success for all levels of the business: from finance, business development sales, marketing,…